New York Yankees' Mark Teixeira no stranger to being hit by Vicente Padilla's pitches

Kathy Willens/Associated PressManager Joe Girardi calms down Mark Teixeira after he was hit with a pitch in the fourth inning for the second time.

NEW YORK -- Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira precisely remembers the first time he faced pitcher Vicente Padilla. It was June 2005, when Teixeira was with the Rangers, and Padilla played in Philadelphia.

In his first at-bat, Teixeira hit a two-run homer. His second time up, he hit a solo shot. The third time, Padilla hit him with a pitch

"Every time I've faced him since, there seem to be balls near my head, near my body," Teixeira said.

So it didn't come as a huge surprise Tuesday night, when Padilla -- now pitching for the Rangers -- plunked Teixeira twice during the Yankees' 12-3 series-opening win: first on his arm during the second inning and next on his backside during the fourth. But Teixeira was nonetheless infuriated, visibly cursing at Padilla as boos echoed through the stadium. Manager Joe Girardi came out and tried to calm down Teixeira on his walk to first.

"There's really no reason for it in baseball," Teixeira said. "If you can't get a guy out, don't hit him."

Padilla told reporters through an interpreter "it's stupid if he thinks it was an intentional pitch." But Teixeira wasn't alone in seeing it as such, as Yankees starter A.J. Burnett issued a response in the form of a high fastball past Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz. Both benches were warned, though Burnett coyly denied vengeful motives.

"That's a fastball in," he said. "I have to pitch in."

Teixeria managed retaliation of his own when he made a game-breaking play directly after being hit the second time. Teammate Alex Rodriguez, the next batter, hit what could have been a double-play ball, but Teixeira delivered a clean takeout slide at second base that prevented shortstop Elvis Andrus from making the throw to first in time. Instead of the inning ending, it stayed alive to see the Yankees score six more runs, the decisive frame in their impressive win.

"That's just good, hard baseball," manager Joe Girardi said. "That's the way you're supposed to play the game."

But Teixeira is used to a different kind of baseball from Padilla. He first became acquainted with the right-hander during the game in Philadelphia four years ago. The two were then teammates on the Rangers for 2006 and 2007, an uncomfortable situation in which Teixeira said he became accustomed to opposing pitchers hitting him in exchange for Padilla going after their players. He said he asked Padilla to stop, but the pitcher ignored his requests.

Tuesday was the first time they had opposed each other since they were teammates, and Teixeria's career-high hitting streak came to an end in the most unpleasant way.

"That's just not the right way to play the game," Teixeria said. "But unfortunately, that guy's been doing it his whole career."